A photographic history of Saint Louis, Missouri.

St. Louis Arena Memories is the history of the St. Louis Arena. Originally built by 1929 to host the National Dairy Show, the Arena became the major exhibition building in the St. Louis, Missouri area. The story of the Arena is told in chronological order and is supplemented with pictures from conception to implosion. The book also contains remembrances from people who lived near the building, who worked in the building, who owned the building, who performed in the building and most of all from people who were entertained in the building. The book is the history of the building and a part of the social history of the City of St. Louis, Missouri from 1929 to 1999.

The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair was a major event in early-twentieth-century America. Attracting millions of tourists, it exemplified the Victorian predilection for public spectacle. The Fair has long served as a touchstone for historians interested in American culture prior to World War I and has endured in the memories of generations of St. Louis residents and visitors. In Whose Fair? James Gilbert asks: what can we learn about the lived experience of fairgoers when we compare historical accounts, individual and collective memories, and artifacts from the event? Exploring these differing, at times competing, versions of history and memory prompts Gilbert to dig through a rich trove of archival material. He examines the papers of David Francis, the Fair’s president and subsequent chief archivist; guidebooks and other official publications; the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis; diaries, oral histories, and other personal accounts; and a collection of striking photographs. From this dazzling array of sources, Gilbert paints a lively picture of how fairgoers spent their time, while also probing the ways history and memory can complement each other.

What city broke barriers by welcoming some of the first African American baseball players in addition to the first female owners of both an MLB and NFL team? Where have local colleges dominated a specific sport, winning dozens of national titles over as many years? The answer, of course, lies in St. Louis, a hotbed of professional and amateur sports with a diverse history and an evolving legacy of success. In St. Louis Sports Memories: Forgotten Teams and Moments from America’s Best Sports Town, relive the highlights from the championships to the crossroads of social change that have characterized St. Louis’s sports scene for more than a century. Learn about the tennis legend who found an accepting environment to master his game during the racial turmoil of the 1960s. Make sure you can recite both the four MLB teams and the four NFL teams that have called St. Louis home. Each moment or memory is accompanied by history and anecdotes to form an indelible vignette showcasing some of the most loved as well as the long forgotten stories of the names you know and the ones you should know. Local award-winning author Ed Wheatley brings his die-hard fan perspective to this unique and nostalgic look at St. Louis’s winning record. Root for the home teams and for the bygone heroes in this town that boasts one of the greatest histories in the annals of sports.